There are 2 types of marketers - those who keep their heads and those who don’t
Published: Wed, 03/25/20
— Mr. Potter
“It’s A Wonderful Life”
We shalt see how well this email ages soon enough.
But, a prediction.
Based on the research of people much more up to snuff than me about these matters, I am guessing 1 of these 3 things'll happen regarding all this virus & economy rigmarole:
1. This whole thing will blow over in the next week or two or three.
Somehow the virus will magically disappear after all this forced social distancing & self quarantining. I cannot imagine that happening based on the math I've seen and common sense. But if it does, while there will have been some big hits to certain businesses (service sector businesses especially), many online-based businesses will more or less be able to pick up the pieces, or pivot and adapt/adjust.
2. This will continue to be touch & go for a while.
With uncertainty remaining. Then possibly go away with the warm weather, and the can kicked down the road for a few months, then come back hard, and this whole thing begins anew later this year.
3. This will turn into a full-blown economic depression with no break in the action.
The likes of which the entire world has never seen. With the entire world economic structure completely in disarray, possible military intervention, blood in the big city streets, terrorists and organized crime taking advantage, and the virus still killing people despite all the government-mandated ordering going on. All of which will just prolong this for years, and very likely add to the death toll in ways people cannot even begin to fathom right now.
My bet (if I had to bet) would be #2.
But I’m preparing hard for #3.
Yet if #1 happens, it still won’t change anything I am doing.
But if #2 or #3 (or something else) happens?
There are obviously no guarantees... but those who keep their heads, don’t play to not lose, and use this time to adjust & position themselves for maximum marketshare have a much better chance than others to not only survive this, but potentially grow their businesses bigger and better than ever before.
Unfortunately, just like in every down economy, shallow thinkers start self sabotaging.
"We need to cut costs to save jobs!"
It's insane.
And, frankly, selfish of them.
That kind of reactively timid thinking is only going to cost more jobs and cause more pain.
Instead, now's the time to be proactive, not reactive.
To ramp up marketing & selling to be able to hire more people, to invest in better copywriters & sales teams, rapidly invest in top notch marketing & business education, etc - while everyone else is doing the opposite. Smart companies already are aggressively poised to expand, and are prepping to win (was no fluke last weekend when we sold out my "Email Players List Swell" inventory half way through the sale... these wise men and women know this is not a time to pop a pacifier in their mouths, it's a time to get aggressive)... while the weak & timid companies are already cowering in the corner, sucking on their thumbs, oblivious to the opportunities on the horizon, much less bothering to look for them or figure out ways to make it happen if money is tight.
So much of success is purely mental.
So is so much of failure and despair, too.
Here is one of many examples of opportunity rearing its head:
I will talk more about this soon, but, I believe some of the businesses with the most to gain right now are NOT info-publishers like Yours Gruesome. Instead, I think freelancers, coaches, consultants, and services can make out the best, and those who have a hybrid of both will do even better.
Why do I think this?
Partly because of something I read the great Dan Kennedy write many years ago about how everyone — rich or po’, successful or struggling — is walking around umbilical cord in hand looking for somewhere to plug it into.
Legitimately valuable advice, guidance, and knowledge are rare as it is.
They will be even MORE rare now.
Especially when it comes to businesses like freelance copywriting, coaching, consulting, professional services.
Again, that is for those who keep their heads, keep the long game in mind, and aren't playing to not lose, even if it ends up looking like the end of civilization is nigh if all this quarantining going on doesn't change anything.
More:
This building out coaching and freelancing business is the April “Email Players” issue topic.
I changed around what I was originally going to publish in May to go out next month in April instead (with the issue what was originally going to be the April issue going out in May) because it is all about how to adapt my info publishing business model to freelancing (copywriting, or any other type of freelancing), service providers, coaches, and other assorted non-info publishers.
But, if you are an info-publisher, worry ye not.
Everything inside can more or less be adapted to info-publishing too.
In fact, it is everything I will be doing myself should I choose to tap into this hot new demand I believe is on the horizon (and already here in some cases), and jump into coaching in the near future (my recent Quaranstream was a way to pre-test the demand for it).
Whatever you do, I will simply say this:
Now is the time to act on a plan and strategize.
Now is the time to go on offense in your marketing, not defense.
And, most important of all, now is the time to not only change any defeatist attitude that may be trying to bubble up in your psyche, but realize this is a potentially very tremendous opportunity.
All adversity leads to opportunity.
But, only for those who keep their heads and act.
Fact is, unless this virus somehow turns into Captain Tripps, commerce will continue.
The question is, will you lead or bleed?
Will you keep your head or lose your head?
Will you stand up and fight, or roll over and die?
I started with a movie quote from the villainous Mr. Potter in “It’s A Wonderful Life”, and I’ll end with a paraphrase of the Villain (if you'd call him that) of the movie, “The World’s Greatest Game” - Harry Vardon:
“There are only two types of marketer — those who keep their nerves under control and win marketshare, and those who do not.”
If you want to be the former, look for opportunity and act on it with reckless abandon.
If you want my take on how to do it, the April “Email Players” issue can show you:
http://www.EmailPlayers.com
The deadline to get this issue is tight as usual.
If you want it, I do not recommend procrastinating like the marketing proles always do, who always miss out on opportunities.
Lesson in that alone...
Ben Settle